The present inventions relate generally to robotic systems, and more particularly, to calibration of a 3D vision system for a robot.
Robotic systems come in a variety of forms for numerous applications. While robotic systems can be programmed to operate without positional feedback, it is preferable to provide robotic systems with a vision system that provides the robot with information about the work space. For instance, a vision system can be used to locate a work piece within the work space. The robot's movement to interact with the work piece can then be guided by the vision system to accommodate variations in work piece location and/or orientation within the work space.
However, one problem with robotic systems equipped with vision systems is a lack of coordination between the robot and the vision system. That is, the robot functions within its work space according to various movement controls, and the vision system views a work piece within its own separate camera space. While the work space of the robot and the camera space of the vision system necessarily overlap to provide the desired robot guidance, the work space and camera space are not always aligned with each other. Thus, the location of a work piece as viewed by the camera in the camera space may not match the actual position of the work piece in the work space. Such misalignments can cause inaccurate robot movements and lower work quality of the robot or cause other problems.